Class 11 English Hornbill Chapter 4 – The Adventure (Jayant Narlikar) Extract/Passage based Question Answers

 

NCERT Solutions For Class 11 English

Hornbill

Chapter 4 – The Adventure (Jayant Narlikar)

Extract/Passage based Question Answers

Passage 1

Meanwhile, the racing fund of Professor Gaitonde had arrived at a plan of action in Bombay* Indeed, as a historian he’felt he should have thought of it sooner. He would go to a big library and brow-fee through history books. That was the surest way of finding out how the present state of affairs was reached.

He also planned eventually to return to Pune and have a long talk with Rajendra Deshpande, who would surely help him understand what had happened. That is, assuming that in this world there existed someone called Rajendra Deshpande ! The train stopped beyond the long tunnel. It was a small station called Sarhad. An Anglo-Indian in uniform went through the train checking permits.

Questions:

(i) Who was Professor Gaitonde, and what was his hometown?

(ii) What was his destination, and what objective did he have in mind?

(iii) What sense of responsibility did he associate with his role as a historian?

(iv) Can you estimate the timeframe when the story might have been composed?

(v) Provide synonyms for the following:

(a) exist

(b) tunnel.

Answers:

(i) Professor Gaitonde served as a historian, and he hailed from Pune.

(ii) His current destination was Bombay, and his purpose was to visit the significant library there, where he intended to peruse history books in order to understand the circumstances leading to the present state of affairs.

(iii) As a historian, Professor Gaitonde believed it was incumbent upon him to thoroughly investigate and discern the reasons behind the altered state of affairs.

(iv) The paragraph alludes to the entry of an 'Anglo-Indian' into the carriage to inspect permits, indicating he was a government official. Such occurrences were prevalent only during the era of British rule.

(v) (a) exist: live

(b) tunnel: a long narrow (generally) underground path/a long cave with an outlet at another end also.

 

Passage 2

He thanked the girl politely and came out. It was characteristic of him jot to worry about where he would stay. His main concern was to make his way to the library of the Asiatic Society to solve the riddle of history. Grabbing a quick lunch at a restaurant, he made his way to the Town Hall. Yes, to his relief, the Town Hall was there, and it did house the library. He entered the reading room and asked for a list of history books including his own.

His five volumes duly arrived on his table. He started from the beginning. Volume one took the history up to the period of Ashoka, volume two up to Samudragupta, volume three up to Mohammad Ghori and volume four up to the death of Aurangzeb. Up to this period history was as he knew it. The change evidently had occurred in the last volume.Reading volume five from both ends inwards, Gangadharpant finally converged on the precise moment where history had taken a different turn.

Questions:

(i) Who is referred to as 'he' in this context? Can you identify the 'girl' he expressed gratitude to?

(ii) What was the primary focus of his attention?

(iii) The mention of a specific trait of the subject is made here. What does this characteristic indicate?

(iv) Was he successful in locating what he was searching for?

(v) Provide synonyms for:

(a) concern

(b) converged.

Answers:

(i) The term 'he' pertains to Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde. Yes, the 'girl' he thanked is the English receptionist at the Forbes Building.

(ii) His main focus was to navigate to the library of the Asiatic Society to unravel the historical mystery.

(iii) Professor Gaitonde is the subject under discussion here. His disregard for personal lodging reflects a characteristic trait. This indicates that, rather than prioritizing his own physical comforts, he placed greater importance on his intellectual pursuits.

(iv) Yes, he did find what he was seeking. He had arrived with the purpose of solving a historical puzzle, and while reading the fifth volume of the history book, he discovered the crucial clue that clarified the enigma.

(v) (a) concern — worry

(b) converged — moved towards a point from different directions and met to form a large crowd.

Passage 3

Their victory in the battle was not only a great morale booster to the Marathas hut it also established their supremacy in northern India. The East India Company, which had been watching these developments from the sidelines, got the message and temporarily shelved its expansionist programme. For the Peshwas the immediate result was an increase in the influence of Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao who eventfully succeeded his father in 1780 AD. The trouble-maker, Dadasaheb, was relegated to the background and he eventually retired from state politics.

To its dismay, the East India Company met its match in the new Maratha ruler, Vishwasrao. He and his brother, Madhavrao, combined political acumen with valour and systematically expanded their influence all over India. The Company was reduced to pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, just like its European rivals, the Portu guese and the French.

Questions:

(i) What were the consequences of the battle? What transpired as its outcome?

(ii) How did the altered circumstances impact the British/East India Company?

(iii) What were the repercussions for Dadasaheb?

(iv) In what manner did Vishwasrao govern as a ruler?

(v) Provide synonyms for:

(a) relegated

(b) acumen

Answers:

(i) The battle culminated in the triumph of the Marathas, subsequently bolstering their morale. This ultimately established their supremacy in Northern India.

(ii) Following the establishment of Maratha dominance in Northern India, the East India Company had to momentarily set aside its expansionist agenda. Its influence remained confined to specific areas near Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

(iii) Dadasaheb, perceived as a troublemaker by the Marathas, was sidelined and eventually withdrew from active involvement in state politics.

(iv) Vishwasrao, in collaboration with his brother Madhavrao, systematically extended their influence throughout India. The East India Company's sway remained limited to regions near Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.

(v) (a) relegated: given a less important place/rank

(b) acumen: the ability to understand and judge things quickly and clearly.

Passage 4

He found a guest house to stay in and had a frugal meal. He then set out for a stroll towards the Azad Maidan. In the maidan he found a throng moving towards a pandal. So, a lecture was to take place. Force of habit took Professor Gaitonde towards the pandal. The lecture was in progress, although people kept coming and going. But Professor Gaitonde was not looking at the audience.

He was staring at the platform as if mesmerised. There was a table and a chair but the latter was unoccupied. The presidential chair unoccupied! The sight stirred him to the depths. Like a piece of iron attracted to a magnet, he swiftly moved towards the chair. The speaker stopped in mid-sentence, too shocked to continue. But the audience soon found voice.

“Vacate the chair !”
“This lecture series has no chairperson…”
“Away from the platform, mister !”
“The chair is symbolic, don’t you know ?”

What nonsense! Whoever heard of a public lecture without a presiding dignitary ? Professor Gaitonde went to the mike and gave vent to his views. “Ladies and gentlemen, an unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare’s Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. Let me tell you.”

Questions:

(i) Where did he choose to take a leisurely walk? What did he encounter there?

(ii) What emotions did he experience upon reaching that location?

(iii) How did the audience respond upon his arrival?

(iv) In what manner did he attempt to clarify his situation or position?

(v) Provide the meanings for:

(a) mesmerised

(b) gave vent to

Answers:

(i) He opted to stroll toward the Azad Maidan. There, he observed a crowd converging towards a temporary shelter (pandal).

(ii) He felt spellbound as he gazed at the platform. The sight of the vacant presidential chair deeply affected him, drawing him towards it as if by a magnetic force.

(iii) The speaker was so taken aback (seeing Gangadharpant approaching the presidential chair) that he halted mid-sentence. In response, the audience reacted with hostility, urging Professor Gaitonde to stay away from the chair. They appeared unwilling to listen to the chairperson.

(iv) Professor Gaitonde, having experience in addressing public gatherings, approached the microphone upon noticing the vacant chair. He remarked that an unchaired lecture is akin to Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' without the Prince of Denmark.

(v) (a) mesmerised: spellbound/having such a strong effect that full attention is captivated.

(b) gave vent to: expressed.

Passage 5

“Don’t smile smugly. In case you think that it was just my mind playing tricks and my imagination running amok, look at this.” And, triumphantly, Professor Gaitonde produced his vital piece of evidence : a page tom out of a book. Rajendra read the text on the printed page and his face underwent a change. Gone was the smile and in its place came a grave expression. He was visibly moved.Gangadharpant pressed home his advantage. “I had inadvertently slipped the Bakhar in my pocket as I left the library. I discovered my error when I was paying for my meal. I had intended to return it the next morning.

But it seems that in the melee of Azad Maidan, the book was lost; only this tom-off page remained. And, luckily for me, the page contains vital evidence.” Rajendra again read the page. It described how Vishwasrao narrowly missed the bul¬let; and howr that event, taken as an omen by the Maratha army, turned the tide in their favour.“Now look at this.” Gangadharpant produced his own copy of Bhausahebanchi Bakhar, opened at the relevant page. The account ran thus :‘… And then Vishwasrao guided his horse to the melee where the elite troops were fighting, and he attacked them. And God expressed His displeasure. He was hit by the bullet ’ .

Questions:

(i) For what reason did Gangadharpant present a piece of paper?

(ii) What impact did the evidence have on Rajendra?

(iii) How did Professor Gaitonde end up with that piece of evidence in his pocket?

(iv) What is the focal point of the conversation between Gangadharpant and Rajendra?

(v) Provide synonyms for the following words:

(a) smugly

(b) inadvertently

Answers:

(i) Gangadhar produced the piece of paper as part of evidence to substantiate that his mind was not deceiving him, and his experiences were not mere figments of imagination. He sought to validate that he genuinely lived through the events he narrated.

(ii) Rajendra was genuinely affected by the evidence. Initially, he had considered it a product of Gangadharpant's imagination. However, after seeing the evidence, he became serious and carefully examined the content of the page.

(iii) Gangadharpant had visited the large library where he read a Bakhar. Upon leaving the library, he inadvertently placed it in his pocket. Consequently, the evidence found its way into his possession.

(iv) Gangadharpant and Rajendra were engaged in a discussion concerning the enigmatic situation of where Gangadharpant spent the two days while he was absent from Bombay.

(v) (a) smugly: contentedly, pleased with oneself for achieving something.

(b) inadvertently: accidentally, unintentionally.

 

Passage 6

“A good guess. I was indeed wondering what course history would have taken if the result of the battle had gone the other way,” Professor Gaitonde said. “That was going to be the topic of my thousandth presidential address.”“Now you are in the happy position of recounting your real life experience rather than just speculating,” Rajehdra laughed. But Gangadharpant was grave. “No, Rajendra, my thousandth address was made on the Azad Maidan when I was so rudely interrupted. No. the Professor Gaitonde who disappeared while defending his chair on the platform will now never be seen presiding at another meeting—‘I have conveyed my regrets to the organisers of the Panipat seminar.’

Questions:

(i) What was intended to be the subject of Professor Gaitonde's thousandth Presidential address? Was he able to deliver it?

(ii) Why was he unable to give his thousandth presidential address?

(iii) What resolution did Gangadharpant make as a consequence?

(iv) Why did Professor Gaitonde express his regrets to the organizers of the Panipat Seminar?

(v) Provide the meanings of the following words:

(a) recounting

(b) speculating

Answers:

(i) The proposed topic for Gangadharpant Gaitonde's thousandth address was "what course history would have taken if the result of the battle had gone the other way." However, he was unable to deliver it.

(ii) Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde could not deliver his thousandth presidential speech because he was abruptly interrupted by the public and the speaker at Azad Maidan in Pune. He was physically pulled down from the stage.

(iii) Feeling deeply offended and shocked by the rude interruption at Azad Maidan in Pune, Gangadharpant resolved never to preside at any meeting again.

(iv) Professor Gaitonde conveyed his regrets to the organizers of the Panipat seminar because he had decided never to attend or address any meeting as the President in the future. This decision resulted from his bitter experience at the Pune meeting.

(v)(a) recounting: narrating or telling something about your personal experience.

(b) speculating: forming an opinion about something you don’t know in detail.